Experts: Child-killer Stereotype A Myth

Experts on violence against children have some advice for parents anxiously watching out for a stereotypical kidnapper after the slaying Thursday of Angelica Padilla of Willimantic.

He's not what you might expect, and neither is the victim.

``The public thinks the typical victim is 5 or 6 years old who is snatched by some old man skulking around a park saying, `You want some candy?' '' said Washington state homicide investigator Ken Hanfland, co-author of a recent study on abduction-murders for the federal Department of Justice.

``We have to educate the public that that just isn't the case.''

The typical victim is an 11-year- old girl from a stable, middle-class home, who would not be described as ``at risk'' for violence, according to the study of more than 600 cases across the country. She meets her attacker within a quarter-mile of her home, often within a few hundred feet, and is dead within three hours.

Just like Angelica Padilla.

Police are still processing evidence and following leads on the 11-year-old's slaying. Angelica's body was found in a patch of woods Thursday night off Foster Drive, in a quiet Willimantic neighborhood next to Eastern Connecticut State University. Angelica's mother saw her about 3:45 p.m., at which time Angelica was on her way to do herpaper route in the apartment complex where she lived; police believe the girl was grabbed and killed within two hours.

With her killer not yet in custody, parents and children expressed fear and anxiety Monday to counselors at Windham Middle School; counselors will be available again today and the rest of the week.

Meanwhile, state and Willimantic police have been circumspect about their progress. State Trooper Richard Alexandre said only that results are expected today from the state forensics lab in Meriden. The lab is testing blood and other substances found at the scene to see whether there is any blood other than Angelica's or possibly semen or saliva that could identify a suspect.

Police have not said whether Angelica was sexually assaulted, but they are investigating whether any convicted child molesters or other criminals were in the area Thursday, sources said.

While officials may not want to reveal the results of their work so far, the Justice Department's study sheds some light on the type of person they may be looking for and the best way to avoid him.

* The typical perpetrator is a 27- year-old white man who is unmarried and has been arrested for sexual assault or violence against children, according to the study conducted by Hanfland, the head homicide investigator for Washington state, along with Robert Keppel, a professor, and Joseph Weis, chief criminal investigator in Washington.

* The perpetrator will not appear out of the ordinary in the area where he grabs his victim -- more often than not, he lives in the area, works there or was there for a regular activity or event that would not necessarily draw attention.

* The attacker is not necessarily a loner -- 83 percent live with other people.

* His primary motivation is sexual assault.

* After slayings, 21 percent of the perpetrators studied left town, 18 percent confided in someone else what they had done and 10 percent interjected themselves into the investigation.

Julia Cartwright of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said parents should put aside their assumptions about such crimes to focus on how to prevent them.

``We have embarked on a nationwide public education campaign to make people aware that it's not just the littlest children who are at risk,'' she said.

Girls aged 12 to 19 are most commonly victimized because they and their parents assume they are old enough to take care of themselves, Cartwright said.

Teenagers often have a sense of fearlessness and immortality, which may lead them unknowingly into situations that expose them to danger. Children who walk home the same time everyday, wait for their parents in the same place or have any other type of routine -- such as a paper route -- can easily become a target, Cartwright said.

And then there's the obvious warning not to talk to strangers -- which should be reinforced at all times, she said.

Police have warned parents in the Willimantic area to keep close tabs on their children until Angelica's killer is caught.

But the experts cautioned that parents and officials should not panic over the danger of abduction-murders -- there are only about 100 per year in the entire country. For every 10,000 children reported missing, one is killed, while the vast majority of the rest return home safely, according to FBI statistics.